As the school year comes to a close and students begin to plan for summer, all the harp students in the Eanes school district gather in their teacher Ayren Huslig’s backyard for one final concert the evening of May 22.

Harpeque is a final recital for harpists and a lasting tradition for the students to wrap up the school year and show what they have learned. It is also an opportunity for harp students to socialize and celebrate their accomplishments with a potluck after the performances. 

The high school harp ensemble made up of freshmen Catherine Browne and Amber Hoffman, sophomores Caroline Leath and Sabrina Sprangle opened the recital. Harpists from the middle schools then performed solos, followed by the high school harpists’ solos. Leath and Sprangle closed out the night with a duet. The night included an array of music including pieces by Brahms, Chopin, Bizet and Pachelbel. 

Following all harpists’ performances, celebrations commenced with a potluck and slideshow to display the memories from the 2023-2024 school year. The slideshow included the variety of events that the high school harpists participated in throughout the year, including social events in the beginning of the year, the Nutcracker Spectacular in winter and the Solo and Ensemble Competition in spring.

“We [progressed] so far in the year, and it’s really a show of change and learning,” Sprangle said.

With its more casual nature, Harpeque is one of the main opportunities harpists from the high school and middle schools get to meet and interact with each other. The harp ensemble is a small class with a total of four members currently at the high school and four members between both middle schools. 

“Harpeque is fun because it’s less serious than a normal recital,” Leath said. “It’s also nice to hear the middle schoolers and meet all the younger harpists.”

Although Harpeque is the final recital for the harpists, many will continue to perform over the summer with a few high school harpists competing at the Texas State Solo-Ensemble competition May 25 shortly after school ends. The middle school harpists will be performing at Disney over the summer.

A conclusion to the year, Harpeque is more than a final recital, but also a chance for harpists to reflect on what they have learned throughout the year, connect with each other through music and—for younger students—look forward to what the future holds.